The Living End: A Zombie Novel [Kindle Edition]

James Robert Smith (Author)

Book Description

One Hundred and Fifty Million Zombies. Sixty Million Dogs. All of them hungry for warm human flesh. The dead have risen, killing anyone they find. The living know what's caused it-a vicious contagion. But too late to stop it. For now, what remains of society are busy shutting down nuclear reactors and securing chemical plants to prevent runaway reactions in both. There's little time for anything else. Failed comic book artist Rick Nuttman and his family have joined thousands of other desperate people in trying to find a haven from the madness.

Editorial Reviews

Review

James Robert Smith can write!  Not since Philip K. Dick have I a read an author who so convincingly paints the social milieu of his story's world.  Plus, he gives us zombies.  Bravo!  Your book blew me away.

--Joe McKinney, author DEAD CITY

"AT LAST! A ZOMBIE NOVEL WITH BRAINS AS WELL AS GUTS!"

--R. Mathis Kurtz, author THE COALITION.

About the Author

James Robert Smith is the author of over sixty published short stories, hundreds of pages of comic book scripts, and three novels. THE LIVING END is his take on the zombie trope and shows his great respect for the sub-genre created by George A. Romero.


Mr. Smith has set THE LIVING END in his native southern US and used the story to address some issues and problems that seem to have been missed or ignored by other writers delving into apocalyptic fiction.

Product Details

• File Size: 464 KB
• Print Length: 282 pages
• Publisher: Severed Press (August 19, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004UMFQ3U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,583 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars not realistic potrayal of characters May 20, 2011

By Granite

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really found the way the author consistently bashed on "organized religion" througout the book to be a distraction. -Spoilers- In this book every evil character went to church and believed in Jesus, every good character belonged to a town where they banned organized religion and were "free" as a result. OK, I can live with that, however, the church people actually go out of their way to kill all minorities. Really? What about black christians?
From the beginning of the book to the end the Jesus believers commit atrocities and apparently there is not one church goer that has a problem with this, not one. Also, there wasn't just one church group in the book that was bad. All church groups were evil. For example, another pastor killed his entire congregation. Sorry, by I don't really see the likes of Billy Graham going on a murderous killing spree along with ALL of the believers left on the planet. Couldn't the author mix it up with some "good" christians? I think this author has an ax to grind with organized religion and it takes away from the book. I read a zombie book to escape, not listen to a rant about religious people. Also, there were far to many grammatical errors to be ignored. I don't mind this usually but I find it frustrating when I can't figure out what the author intended to say.

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It Not Terrible Per Se January 31, 2012

By The Legend Of Megadon

Format:Paperback

I have gotten some flak for this review. I am entitled to my opinion and it's not fair to retaliate by marking my review as not helpful or leaving nasty comments because you love the book and I do not. I am trying this again. I will respectfully ask that those who are fans act like adults. Secondly every writer needs to hear constructive criticism and that is what I am offering here. My criticisms clearly state why this is not a good book. Once again I have not marked your reviews as not helpful or left nasty remarks so I would ask you to do the same.

***** spoiler alert *****

I would rate this book 2.5 stars if I could but since there are no half star ratings it gets three. My main gripe with the book is that is so unbelievable, yes I know its zombie fiction and that alone is unbelievable. Let me elaborate the book began from the point of view of a dog, and jumped chapter to chapter to a different persons perspective. The issue is the dog, more of what happened to the dog was explained than what happened to people. Do not get me wrong dogs are smart but the plot with the dogs was a smart twist but way too out there. It was if the author was writing Cujo meets The Stand meets zombies. It just did not work. Seriously BC(the dog) decides he hates humans then gets the idea to herd the zombies so he can kill humans? Only at the end to decide after killing his former master by ripping out his throat, leading a zombie that had an affair with his masters wife to kill her, he then decides to kill the kids but changes his mind when he realizes the kids love him and then dies protecting them from a dog he trained to hate and kill people. It's just way too much. The writing is not bad either but it just seems like the plot elements were aped and the twist the author put upon them were played out or just too wacky or underused. I mean seriously some guy wipes out a family, steals their compound in the forest, kills BC's mate, skins her and eats her, nails her hide to the door, and then the dogs come back with zombies? The first half is weird did the guy have to eat the dog? There are also little inconsistencies like BC's mate had 3 pups then later in the book it was 4. I think the dog plot alone could have been brilliant but he botched it and then just added other elements like the religious nuts and the mole, like I said its just too much. The book was entertaining enough but at a certain point I debated just quitting. I love zombie fiction but this was just over the top.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book May 26, 2012

By paula m lazaro

Format:Paperback

James Robert Smith is a brillant writer. I was enthralled by his story telling, I read the book in one day. I plan to read more of his books.

More About the Author

My most recent stories have appeared in HORROR FOR THE HOLIDAY, THE DEVIL'S COATTAILS, THE BLEEDING EDGE, WHITLEY STRIEBER'S ALIENS, SINGERS OF STRANGE SONGS, RETURN TO LOVECRAFT COUNTRY, and the anthology CHILDREN OF CTHULHU (Del Rey). I scripted KLYDE & MERIEM, a spin-off of the popular Basement Comics CAVEWOMAN series. I also created and co-edited EVERMORE, a collection of stories by various authors using Edgar Allan Poe as a character which was published by Arkham House Books.


My first novel, THE FLOCK, was published in August 2006 by Five Star. The movie rights subsequently sold to producers Don Murphy and John Wells. The Tor-Forge version appeared in November of 2010 with the sequel (THE CLAN) to follow in 2012. My zombie novel THE LIVING END appeared in 2011 from Severed Press.

My favorite authors include Charles Bukowski, Robert Graves, Joe Lansdale, Barry Gifford, and Jack Kerouac.